Ninja Storm: Quest for Each Other
by PenPatronus
Summary: PRNS The Ninja Storm Rangers' counterparts from the Gold Dust dimension invade. Features Blake, Tori, Dustin, Shane, Hunter, Cam. Blake x Tori. Angst, Adventure, Hurt / Comfort.DISCONTINUED UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE
1. Reunions

**Disclaimer **(for all chapters) Power Rangers doesn't belong to me, Ninja Storm doesn't belong to me, Blake and Tori and Shane and, well…nothing belongs to me but the words in between what belongs to others! There.

**Summary:** What if the Wind Rangers were hit by that memory-altering beam in "Return of Thunder," instead of Hunter and Blake? Featuring Tori, Shane, Dustin, Blake, Hunter. Angst, no slash.

**Ninja Storm: Quest for Each Other**

PenPatronus

Chapter One: Reunions

A breeze peeled back the tree leaves and limbs and revealed the noonday sun to a half-asleep Blake Bradley. Blake rolled over, cracking his back along with the sticks beneath it. He groaned, and used his arms to force his midsection to bend up to a sitting position. "Hunt—?" he murmured before clearing his rusty throat and calling, "Hunter?" The crimson Thunder Ranger was nowhere in sight. Blake squinted at what was left of their nightly fire, and he saw footsteps in the ashes leading back down the mountain. "Great…" Blake sighed. "Wherever he's run off to, I hope he brings back breakfast."

As he stood, Blake's hand automatically reached for the morpher around his wrist. It was there, secure as always, and his backpack was right beside him. But still he felt exposed without Hunter. Any separation from his brother always unnerved him, even if it was a brief separation for a Coke. But Blake would never admit that. He wondered if Hunter felt the same way.

Blake brushed the leaves and twigs off of his black and navy suit, and out of his black hair. He stretched his arms out, and then his legs, slowly but with purpose. Gradually, he began to speed up his stretches into kicks and punches, warming up his muscles and speeding his heart rate. He and Hunter were alone in the mountains, they thought, but Blake always started off every morning assuming they weren't. They led uncertain lives, and he wanted to always be certain that he could defend his life, and his brother's, if he had to.

It was during his daily sparring with a tree branch that a puddle of crystal blue water seemed to form at his feet from nowhere. All Blake knew was that he nearly stepped in it, and when he looked down, a face was looking back up at him.

"Tori?"

"Blake," Tori's image said from the water. She continued speaking before he could ask what was going on. "If you're getting this message, Blake, I'm in trouble, so listen closely. The Wind Rangers were contacted by one of Lothor's followers who decided to defect. He says he can get us onto Lothor's ship and this morning Dustin, Shane and I are going. I made this message before I left, just in case. If everything had gone smoothly on the mission, I would've deactivated this. Since it obviously hasn't…we need your help. You're the only backup we've got. Help me—Help us, Blake. Contact Cam and—"

Blake had knelt down until his nose was nearly touching Tori's in the water. As he listened, he tuned out everything else around him. So it was quite a surprise when a boot suddenly splashed into the puddle, dissolving it in the middle of Tori's sentence. Slowly, Blake raised his head, afraid of who or what he was about to see. But he blinked, and grinned.

"Tori!" Blake leapt to his feet and pulled a smiling, safe Tori into a hug. "Have you lost your mind? You scared me!"

"Sorry, Blake," she said into his cheek as they hugged. "We just got back, but not in time for me to deactivate the message, so I just followed it to you."

Blake found himself holding onto her blonde hair for dear life. He didn't think he could will himself to let go if he tried. "I'm glad you did, Tori, I'm so glad you're ok."

"I am, I'm fine," she said. "Everything went fine."

If Blake had taken the time to really look at her, he would've seen the evil in her eyes. There was a silver dagger in Tori's hand. She leveled it with Blake's lower ribs, and pushed.

---

Hunter Bradley pulled a baseball cap as low over his face as it could go. He was on the sidelines, watching the motor cross races, and not for the first time that moment he wondered why he wasn't out there. It just wasn't like him to watch and not participate. If he saw a race, he got involved. If he saw a fight or a game of Scrabble, he was in. But he and Blake had decided to keep a low profile for now, knowing that Lothor was probably after them. And so he had to be content with hiding in the shadows, ignoring people, and staying off the track. "And we're doing this why?" Hunter muttered to himself before sighing. "Sure we're safe…but boy am I bored." Hunter's eyes narrowed as he watched the race. He knew he could take that curve better than that guy, accelerate smoother than that guy, stick a landing better than that guy…

"Hunter?"

Hunter stiffened. "Shane. Dustin."

The two Wind Rangers were suddenly in front of him, grinning in greeting, but uneasily. "Hey man," Dustin said, "good to see you." Dustin was dressed in loose jeans and a tight yellow t-shirt, and there were bits of dirt on him that had splattered from the track. Shane had a skateboard under one arm and his helmet under the other. He looked at Hunter as if he didn't know whether to shake his hand or defend himself. But Dustin extended his, and Hunter let him pull him to his feet.

"Yeah, it's good to see you too." Hunter tested himself, and was surprised to find that he actually meant that. He relaxed.

"We thought you'd be in Canada or something by now," Shane said. Hunter watched the red ranger relax at the same rate he did.

"Yeah, well, I guess we can't go too far without being drawn back to dirt bikes and, you know, showers." Hunter loosened his posture even more and put his hands in his pockets.

Dustin folded his arms at his chest and cheerily said, "So we were about to go grab a burger if you'd like to come with."

Hunter's hesitation was headed off by Shane's enthusiasm. "And we'll buy, dude. For Blake too. Let's just, you know, catch up? We'll tell you about the monsters we've had fun with since you left and you can tell us about…uh…whatever you've been doing."

Hunter chuckled and nodded. "Sure. All right, sure." He'd just turned to pick up his backpack when he felt something like a bee sting press against the back of his neck. Hunter felt himself go limp, watched as his cap fell off, and suddenly he was on the grass, helpless. As Shane's fist came at his face, he wondered if Blake was all right.


	2. Wounded Prey

**Ninja Storm: The Quest for Each Other**

PenPatronus

Chapter Two: Wounded Prey

Hunter was awake, but couldn't summon the strength to open his eyes, so he concentrated on his other senses. He smelled saltwater, and felt a breeze that could only come from the ocean. His legs were numb, and his back and arms felt like they were emerged in boiling water. But he wasn't being restrained by anything external, only his own weakness. He sensed something else, too, but he wasn't sure which of his five senses he was feeling it with. He just knew that Blake was nearby, and so was danger for both of them.

He lacked an important weight at his forearm and wrist. Hunter's morpher was missing.

"Hunter…"

Blake. Blake was there, and he needed him. Suddenly Hunter did have strength. He forced open his eyes millimeter by millimeter, waited for them to be able to see, then waited for his brain to process the images.

"_Blake_!"

His brother's outstretched fingers were inches from his arm, and they were covered in dry blood. With a grunt, Hunter got his arms under his chest, lifted himself up, and began to crawl forward. He wrapped Blake's arm around his as he went. He could tell that Blake was trying to squeeze his arm in greeting, but Hunter barely felt the pressure. Blake's entire body was shaking. His eyes were only parted halfway, and he lay curled on his side as if trying to keep himself from exploding. Hunter collapsed next to his brother, and had to take deep breaths to pull himself together before addressing him. When he did get a good look at Blake, it took all of Hunter's willpower not to break down right then. Hunter swallowed his emotions and tried to be all business.

"Where?"

Blake moved his hand from his gut. The knife had gone through his uniform, through skin and muscle and all the way to his ribs. He groaned when Hunter slowly peeled back the fabric. Fresh blood seeped onto Hunter's knees as he leaned over the wound. Having nothing else, Hunter swiped off his baseball cap and used it to stop the bleeding. "Who did this?" Hunter asked as he checked Blake for other injuries.

"Tori…but not Tori."

"What do you mean?"

"Not herself…Lothor…Lothor changed her. This isn't her fault."

"I'm sure," Hunter growled his sarcasm.

"I'll be ok in a minute." Blake shut his eyes and took several deep breaths. Finally he looked around at their environment. "Where are we?"

Hunter only looked away from Blake briefly. "The seashore. We're alone."

Blake started to sit up. "Why would they bring us here?"

Hunter sat back just far enough to let Blake move. He knew he wouldn't be able to go far, but he also knew better than to try and stop him. He was right. Blake's strength promptly gave out. Hunter caught his brother before he crashed into the sand, and maneuvered Blake across his lap. Blake resigned himself to his weakness, and just lay there gasping. For several moments the two Thunder Rangers just sat there, hands grasping hands, listening to breaths and heartbeats.

"Easy, bro," Hunter whispered. He ran his fingers through Blake's hair. "Take it easy. I gotcha."

"I—know—you do. I know…Did Tori get you?"

"No. I got jumped by Shane and Dustin."

"Damn…Uh, Hunter?"

"Yeah?"

"What happened to our morphers?"

A new, sinister voice instantly drew their attention. "You mean these?"

Suddenly in front of them stood Shane, Tori, and Dustin. The Thunder Rangers' morphers were in boys' hands, dangling just out of Hunter's reach.

"What do you think, Tor? Should we give them back?" Shane asked.

"I think you should throw them into the ocean," she said. Tori smirked at them, cocked out a hip and crossed her arms at her stomach.

Dustin started to wind up his arm like a baseball pitcher. "Not a bad idea!" He threw Blake's morpher, and it landed somewhere out in the ocean water. Shane pivoted and tossed Hunter's as well. The morphers disappeared into the sea. They moved closer to the brothers, and Hunter positioned himself protectively in front of Blake.

"Tori," Blake called, "listen to me! This morning you guys went on Lothor's ship. Do you remember what happened?"

Tori chuckled. "That's a lame name. Who's Lothor?"

"He's the evil alien maniac I thought we were all fighting together!" Hunter snarled. "But obviously you just wanted to earn our trust just long enough to betray us!"

Shane lifted his chin and frowned. "Us betraying you would imply that we were friends at some point."

"Your memories have been reprogrammed or there's a spell, or something!" Blake said. Hunter winced at his brother's voice. Blake was trying to yell, but his voice came out meek and through teeth clenched in intense pain. "We're not who you think we are!"

"We don't care!" Dustin shouted down at them. "All we know is that you must be destroyed, and that's all we're out to do!"

"Think, Dustin!" Sweat ran down Blake's face as he struggled to process what was going on, and explain it to everyone. "You don't even know why you're doing this! Isn't that messed up? Shane, Tori, think! Someone made you act this way!"

"I'm through trying to reason with these guys," Hunter said as he slowly got to his feet. He took a deep breath and a defensive stance. "If you want a fight, you've got it," he said to the Wind Rangers.

"We didn't bring you here to fight," Shane said as he pounded a fist into his opposite palm. "We brought you here to die."

"_Yeah_," Dustin hissed.

Tori stepped forward and leaned over Hunter. A gruesome smile slowly crossed her face as she shifted her weight into her right leg, and prepared to aim a kick at his head.

"Tori, don't!" Blake pleaded. Hunter prepared himself for the hit. He was too weak to fight back.

And like a bolt of lightning, a beam of maroon light surged down from the open sky and landed directly on Tori. Both Shane and Dustin stepped back, and Hunter shielded Blake. The energy pulsed through her for several seconds, and when it released her she was left shaking her head in confusion.

"Look," Blake gasped when he looked through Hunter's arms. "That must be whatever altered their memories!"

Tori almost fell to her knees, but she managed to keep her footing. But her confusion lasted only a moment. She sneered up at the sky, and then down at Hunter. "Nice try. And that was supposed to do what?" Dustin and Shane cackled behind her.

Tori raised her fist, and swung.


	3. A Wilder Wipeout

**Ninja Storm: Quest for Each Other**

PenPatronus

Chapter Three: A Wilder Wipeout

Tori raised her fist, and swung it past Hunter's head and towards the ocean. What sounded like a cannon was followed by a blast of saltwater that shot between Tori and Hunter and nailed Shane and Dustin, knocking them both a dozen yards away. Hunter watched in awe as the two Wind Ninjas tried to get up, but were held back by a shield of water. Shane and Dustin pounded their fists against it and screamed in rage.

"Cam says hi." Tori looked at the ocean water. From its depths, the Thunder Rangers' morphers surfaced and rode a wave right to Tori's open hand. She handed them to Hunter. "You'll be needing these."

Hunter blinked at Tori. "Cam sent you a message through that—that memory mind warp thing?"

"Yeah. He also said to hold them off until he can reconfigure another blast. It may take a few minutes. He has to recharge it or bounce it off a few satellites or something."

Hunter let out a long, very unsteady breath. "Tori, you really had me going for a second. Have you ever considered being an actress instead of a Power Ranger?"

Tori started past Hunter, but instinctively the Thunder Ranger blocked her path. "Hunter, it's me. Really. I swear I won't hurt him." She placed her hands reassuringly on his shoulders. Hunter stared at her for a long moment, then allowed her to pass.

Tori kneeled beside Blake. The Navy Ranger lay still and silent on his back while blood continued to stain the sand beneath him. His eyes were clenched shut in pain, and his breathing was audible. Between the blood and sweat and dirt, he looked a mess. "Blake." Instantly he looked up at her, but it took a moment for his eyes to focus. Without any pretense, Tori leaned forward and placed a single soft, chaste kiss on his lips. "Are you ok?" she whispered to him. She'd tried to keep the sentence light but though there were no tears in her eyes, her voice was full of them. She sniffed. "I'm so sorry I let Lothor do this to you, Blake. I'm even sorrier that he used me to hurt you."

It took several seconds for the shock to wear off. He blinked up at her, as if trying to figure out if she was a dream. But Blake took one of her hands in his, then reached up and gently ran the outside of his thumb across her lips. "It was worth it."

"Tori!" She looked over at Hunter who was pointing at Shane and Dustin. The Wind Rangers were harnessing their namesake power and attacking the shield of water with a tornado. Hunter tried to get to his feet. "That won't hold much longer."

Tori tore away from Blake and pushed Hunter back down. "Hunter, you're hurt. Stay with Blake, I'll handle them myself. Just—"

At that moment, the shield broke. The other Wind Rangers were suddenly morphed and barreling down on Tori like an avalanche. She didn't even have time to raise her morpher.

That's when the beam shot down from the sky again. It caught both Shane and Dustin, stopping them in their tracks. When the beam released them, the red ranger fell forward onto his knees and instantly un-morphed. Shane held his head and pressed his face into the sand to muffle his groans. Dustin stood behind him, watching.

"Shane!" Tori fell to her knees in front of him and took him by the shoulders. She shook him until he was able to look at her. "Hey, you ok?"

Shane patted his red sweatshirt, looked down at his own hands, then at Tori. "Yeah…what happened?"

"Lothor sent us to kill the Thunder Rangers and, oh, I'll explain later. Dustin, you ok?" Tori asked as she helped Shane to his feet. The Yellow Ranger reverted to his ninja form and stared at Shane, Tori, Hunter and Blake like they were blemishes on his racing bike. Tori narrowed her eyes as she stared back. "Dustin? What is it?"

He just stared at her. Tori took a couple of steps forward. In Tori's mind, there was a picture of the Dustin she knew and loved. He had baby-face cheeks, a wide soft smile, curls and gentle dark brown eyes. The Dustin before her had eyes that were nearly black. His hair was limp and greasy, his face more skeletal. And in his eyes…

"Dude, you ok?" Shane started past Tori, but she threw her arm out and stopped him.

"Don't go near him," she said.

Shane was taken aback. "What? Why? Dustin, dude, what's going on?"

"That's not Dustin."

Shane, Hunter and Blake stared at Tori. "What do you mean that's not Dustin?"

"Who are you?" she demanded. She stared into his dark, lethal eyes and challenged him with hers. Goosebumps blossomed up and down her body and chilled her. "Who are you, and where is Dustin?"

The Dustin before them suddenly broke into a sprint and shoved his way through the group. With a mighty leap, he dove into the water which was suddenly sparkled with dust.

Not three seconds after _that_ Dustin disappeared into a wave, _their_ Dustin was spit out. "What the—? I got him!" Shane yelled. He ran waist-deep into the water, positioned himself beneath the flying body, and caught Dustin while the ocean cushioned them both. Tori was instantly beside him, and they both dragged their unconscious friend to shore and laid him on the sand with Hunter and Blake.

"I knew that wasn't him! I felt it! Did you see that?" Tori exclaimed. "Was that some entrance to another dimension or was Dustin kidnapped by evil mermaids?"

"Dustin?" Shane urged as he leaned over the yellow ranger. He patted him on the cheek desperately. A vicious panic filled Shane. He didn't know Hunter and Blake very well yet, he and Tori were close and Cam and he hung out a lot…but Dustin…He and Shane had always been pals, but the bond between them recently had started mirroring the brotherly bond that Hunter and Blake had. Shane saw how much those two valued it, and he was suddenly terrified of losing a precious something he was so close to having.

"_Dustin_!"

Dustin's eyes suddenly flew open, and spread even wider when he saw Shane and Tori. The two Wind Rangers had to put their forearms up to block their faces because Dustin swung at them both. "Whoa, dude! It's us!" Shane exclaimed. He had to tackle Dustin, and they both rolled right on top of Blake, who cried out in pain. With a war cry, Hunter threw himself into the mix and pushed them both off of his brother.

"You ok, Blake?" Hunter gathered his brother into his arms. There was no response. "_Blake_!"

"Dustin, chill!" Tori joined the rumble, grabbed Dustin's hands and crossed his fingers together with hers. "You're ok now!"

A wave of exhaustion as strong as the ocean hit Dustin, and he went limp. Dustin blinked, and stared at Tori as if he was seeing her for the first time in years. This was their Dustin: cheeks, eyes and all. "Tori? Sh—Shane?"

"Of course," Tori soothed. "You're ok now, we're—" Tori froze. A frown slowly melted down her face. She pulled parts of Dustin's mustard-colored t-shirt up and down, and then examined his arms, head, and face. She found cuts and bruises, burns and needle marks. Shane looked over her shoulder. "Oh Dustin," she exhaled, "what happened to you…?"

"He—I mean, Shane…the other Shane, there was this other Shane where I was…and there was another me that, that came here…" Dustin gasped and gulped down air and tried to keep himself from trembling. "They had me in Ninja Ops but it wasn't ours and it, it wasn't you guys. He and the other Hunter…they…they wanted to know about this world and about Lothor and you guys and…and…"

"They hurt you?" Tori whispered.

"They tortured you," Shane said with a deadpan face and voice. He snarled, and a growl rose in his chest. "I'll kill them…"

"They're…they're coming."

Tori leaned closer to Dustin to hear his whispers. "What?"

"The rangers from that other dimension, they're planning on invading this one…could…could be any second." Dustin winced and squeezed his eyes shut. His jaw muscles clenched and unclenched as he dealt with the pain.

"Then we've got to get out of here," Shane said. "Hunter?"

The Thunder Ranger looked up from his brother. The fear in his eyes nearly broke Tori's heart. "Blake's unconscious. I can't wake him up."

"Can you walk?"

"I think so."

Shane's leadership instincts took over, and he began issuing orders. "All right. Tori, help Dustin and Hunter, and I'll carry Blake. We've got to get to Cam in Ninja Ops before our evil twins come after us. Let's go."

The group retreated, slowly but surely. Behind them, the ocean began to rumble.

**To be continued…**


	4. The Other Cam

Summary: Power Rangers, Ninja Storm. What if the Rangers' evil counterparts invaded our dimension, instead of Tori going to theirs? Begins with an alternate timeline of "Return of Thunder," and features Blake, Tori, Dustin, Shane, Hunter, Cam. No slash, Tori/Blake.

**Ninja Storm: Quest for Each Other**

PenPatronus

Chapter Four: The Other Cam

Footsteps echoed from the entrance to Ninja Ops. Sensei, in guinea pig form, looked up from his spot next to the computer's keyboard. Cam was instantly on his feet, nearly tripping over them in his urgency. "Where have you guys been? I was starting to worry!"

"Worrying about little old me? There's no need to."

Cam slid to a stop. A dread rose in his chest, then settled in his feet and cemented him to that spot on the floor.

"Actually in that case you would be worried about _yourself_, which, ironically, is not inaccurate."

Cam watched as an exact replica of himself slithered out of the shadows. There was a samurai sword strapped to the back of his black uniform and a jagged scar just below the hairline of his forehead. Cam hoped to God it was his father playing a trick on him with the computer's simulator, but judging from how quickly the sensei flipped protectively up onto his son's shoulder, this was real.

"Oh come _on_," the other Cam said as he looked Cam over. "Look at those glasses! Why am I _dork_ in this dimension?"

Cam found his voice. "Who are you and why are you here?"

"Oh, phew!" Other Cam said with exaggerated relief. "I was worried your teammates might have warned you already. But lucky for me, they're as unreliable in this dimension as they are in mine. Who am I? Dude, I'm you. Or, from my perspective, you're me." Other Cam began to slowly walk around Cam and Sensei, eyeing them, snarling at them. Cam stood frozen and tense, and observed his Other just as closely. "What's with the rodent?"

"Do I not have a father in your dimension?"

"That's the great Sensei?" Other Cam threw his head back and laughed. "I killed him easily enough when he was in _human_ form! This will be a synch! Like taking candy from a Kelzak!"

"If you were sent here to kill me," Sensei said quietly, "then I suggest you let my son leave."

Other Cam blinked and adjusted to the talking guinea pig. "Well it was just so much fun killing you the first time." Other Cam clapped his hands together and looked towards the ceiling as if recalling the fondest of memories. "Oh I remember the look on his face. He wasn't surprised that it was me of course, but I think he was surprised to find out how much a knife in his throat hurt. Now you, you I can just squish under my boot like a spider."

"I won't let you!" Cam shouted.

Other Cam suddenly lunged forward and was inches from Cam's face. His voice came out like the hiss of a snake. His breath was sour and almost sharp. "In my dimension, I am known as Cameron the Fearsome, and I rule ten providences. People _bow_ to me! _Shudder_ to see my face! _Cower_ when they hear my voice! In my dimension the Power Rangers don't protect the world, we rule it! Power Rangers have _real_ power! We don't sneak around rescuing kittens from tall trees! We rule from castles and get waited on by slaves. We have never been defeated! And I get the impression that this dimension is more or less the opposite of mine, and if I'm strong and brave and…" Other Cam snorted. "And a lady's man, what does that make _you_?"

"I can hold my own," Cam spat back. "And my Rangers will be here soon. Where are _your_ friends?"

"What's _left_ of those Rangers will be too late. And from what I've seen of them so far, they won't be much trouble anyway. And the Rangers are _not_ my friends."

"What do you—" Cam took a deep swallow, gulping down his realization with his fear. "You captured Shane, Tori and Dustin today. You altered their memories. Which means you—you—"

"Took over your Lothor's ship? That's right. And it's _us_, not me. You should really thank us for taking Lothor out of the picture. We sure had more success than you've had! And we captured Dustin two days ago. You should see him, _Cameron_. He's not looking so good, but not as bad as Blake." He pulled out the samurai sword. The sound of the metal sliding up the sheath sent shivers up Cam's spine. Cam shuddered. The evil he sensed in the Other splashed against him like ocean waves in a hurricane.

"Cam," Sensei said to Other Cam. "I am not your father. And however he wronged you, there's no reason to take it out on my son. Leave him out of this."

"Oh come on, _daddy_, I've never had the chance to fight myself. Think I'll win?"

"Why are you here?" Cam whispered.

Other Cam suddenly became serious. "Because She sent me."

He said "she" as if speaking of a goddess.

"Who?"

"The Queen."


	5. From Bad to Worse

**Ninja Storm: Quest for Each Other**

PenPatronus

Chapter Five: From Bad to Worse

"_NO_!"

Shane halted at the sound of Cam's scream. He turned just as they were entering Ninja Ops, the unconscious Blake still in his arms, and looked at Tori with wide eyes. "Go," she urged, her voice laced with desperation. Hunter plopped down on the cement between them, whether to take Blake or because he was about to collapse anyway, Shane didn't know. Shane placed Blake in his arms, made sure that Tori had a solid hold on the zombie-like Dustin, and the red ranger busted his way into Ninja Ops.

The scene froze as soon as he entered it. In half of a second, Shane registered what he was seeing: two Cams, and a dead guinea pig morphing into a human being. Instantly he knew what had happened, and which Cam to attack. A flying kick was all it took to knock the samurai sword out of Other Cam's hands, and the fight began.

Unbridled grunts reflected the effort behind Shane's punches. He put all of himself into each kick, each punch, each block. The Other Cam took the offensive at first, but Shane's pure ferocity and greater weight caused him to slowly tire and back off. The computer was knocked over, items fell off of the walls, both fighters' morphers went flying off of their wrists, and the center table was broken in half. Finally Shane managed to get the full weight of a kick into the blind spot at Other Cam's shoulder, and knocked him against the wall.

"Shane!"

Shane looked up in time to catch the samurai sword that his Cam threw. He caught it by the hilt, and instantly had the blood-stained business end at Other Cam's throat. Shane's words came out in an unearthly growl. He didn't recognize his own voice. "Do not move."

Other Cam managed to speak through his gasps for air. "You're not going to kill me? I always said the mighty Red Ranger would be the one to kill me." He leaned forward a few centimeters until the tip of the sword began to pierce his skin. "In my dimension you would kill me for failing to report back to you, even if I did accomplish my mission."

"You're in my dimension now," Shane said. "We're playing by _my_ rules. I'm not going to kill you, and in exchange, you're going to quietly allow us to restrain you, and then you're going to answer every question we ask."

Other Cam shook his head. The movement caused little scrapes across his throat. "I will not betray the Queen…You have no idea what you're up against, Shane."

"You're right. All I know is that we're up against ourselves. But I also know, that you're going to fill in the blanks."

"I've ruled thousands of people, I've won hundreds of battles, I've murdered my father _twice_," Other Cam said. "I am not afraid of death." Shane couldn't see, but Other Cam was repeatedly tapping the palm of his hand with his middle finger.

"Yeah, I can tell you're more afraid of living."

_Tap, tap, tap. _

A throttled gasp suddenly came from Other Cam. The inhale was uncontrolled, and instantly his face paled and began to shift to blue. Shane threw the sword aside and followed Other Cam as he sank to the floor. He had somehow poisoned himself. A spiked dart had shot out of the glove tip of his finger, and injected itself into Other Cam's palm. A defense mechanism in case he was captured. Shane couldn't comprehend such insanity. He grabbed Other Cam by the shoulders and shook him. "What did you do to Dustin? Why are you here? What do you want with us? TELL ME!"

He was dead.

Right then, Tori burst into the room. "Cam!" She yelled, and started towards Shane. Then she looked towards the other corner of the room. "Cam? Oh my gosh our—the evil twin…things are here?"

"Just Cam's."

"What's going on?"

"Hang on, Cam, we'll explain in a minute."

"My father is dead WHAT IS GOING ON!" Cam stood over the body of his father, of Sensei, and held his bloody hands out to them in supplication. Then something passed over his face. He looked from his father to his clone lying dead on the floor. All of the focus went out of his body. "I killed him…"

Tori was beside him in a second. "Cam, you didn't."

Cam stared at Other Cam. "But that's me, that's Cam, and I'm Cam, and that Cam killed him so that means that I did…"

At a loss, Tori did the only thing she knew to. She might be a Power Ranger, but she was first and foremost a friend, and a woman. Tori yanked Cam into a mighty hug and held him. He crumpled into her, and sobs exploded from his body.

Dustin stumbled through the door. He looked around, then quietly sat against the wall. His face was expressionless. Only his ears were perked up as he listened to Cam's cries.

Hunter dragged Blake inside. He also looked around, then simply sat. If being at a loss could take the form of a facial expression and body posture, that's how Hunter looked.

Shane stood still over the scene. Ninja Ops was trashed. Tori was barely holding Cam together. Hunter was too exhausted to fuss with Blake who lay unconscious at his feet. Beside Blake, Dustin was finally drifting into an uneasy unconsciousness.

Not knowing what else to do, Shane listened to Cam cry, then gently picked up the fallen Sensei and went to bury him.


	6. Regrouping

**Ninja Storm: Quest for Each Other**

PenPatronus

Chapter Six: Regrouping

Blake Bradley was afraid of what he would see if he opened his eyes, so he took his time, and used the time to interpret what was going on with his body. He wiggled his bare toes, flexed his calf muscles, bent his knees. He kept the trunk of his body still as he stretched his fingers and arms, and rotated his neck from side to side. Once he was sure that all of his limbs were there, and that he could feel and use them, he turned his attention to the knife wound. As soon as he let down his guard just a smidge, the pain came rushing out. His eyes flew open on their own accord, and out of his mouth flew a gasp in a painful inhale.

He was lying on a bed in one of two tiny bedrooms in Ninja Ops. Blake was surprised to find that all he had on was a pair of khaki pants. Someone had removed his shirt, washed his body and cleaned and bandaged the wound. The blood had been scrubbed away from Blake's body, but he still smelled it. The entire complex smelled of blood.

"Blake."

And then Tori was suddenly there, kneeling beside the bed, looking like an angel. Something stirred in Blake's memory. He couldn't quite place it, he just knew it had something to do with Tori…with Tori kneeling beside him just like that…something about Tori's lips…

She frowned at him. "What is it?"

"Nothing," Blake said. His voice came out in a croaked whisper, as if it hadn't been put to use for longer than he thought. "I…I think I had a dream about you or something."

She had the gentlest smile. "Was it about this?" She kissed him. A healing warmth seemed to flow from her body into his. The kiss went deeper and lasted longer this time, and Blake couldn't imagine anything being sweeter. When they parted, Blake couldn't imagine missing anything more.

"Yeah…Let's, uh, let's keep doing stuff like that, ok?" Tori smiled and nodded. Blake used his eyes to point at his injury and his lack of clothing. "So, are you responsible for this?"

Tori blushed. "No. Your brother fixed you up."

Panic suddenly rose in Blake. "Is Hunter ok?"

"Yeah. He's recovered."

Blake let out a sigh of relief. "Oh good." He rolled over onto his side, making room for Tori to lay down beside him.

Tori ran her fingers through his hair, down his neck, across his chest and back and around the bandages, exploring. He only had the energy to explore the fingertips of her other hand. "How are you feeling?" she asked. She pressed dry lips to his shoulder, to his neck, against his cheek.

"Better…Hungry." He kissed the back of her hand before continuing. "The last thing I remember was being on the beach and Shane tackling Dustin."

"Yeah. That was three days ago."

Blake cocked an eyebrow. "I've been asleep for three days?"

"On and off. You actually just missed Hunter. It's taken that whole time for me to convince him to leave your side and actually get some sleep of his own."

"Sounds like him." Blake winced and took a deep breath. "So has anything else happened?"

---

"Was I this clumsy _before_ they tortured me or have I always sucked this much?"

Shane lowered his quarterstaff and leaned against it. Dustin was in front of him, his own staff on the forest ground, his hands braced on his knees as he tried to catch his breath. "Dude," Shane said, "talk to me about it already! This is the first time you've even brought it up."

"Hello! Traumatized, here!" Dustin exclaimed. He stood straight, balanced the staff in his hands and stared at it. "Look Shane, I appreciate it, but I don't want to talk. If I talk about it, I'll think about it and if I think about it I'll relive it. I'd rather just spar."

Shane lazily blocked Dustin's attack. He could tell that Dustin was coming at him with all of his strength, but it was a fraction of what it usually was. Shane stayed on the defensive. If he couldn't force Dustin to talk about what happened in that alternate dimension, he would wait patiently until it busted out on its own. As they exchanged blows, Shane was confused to see that Dustin seemed to be gaining energy. In the three days since they'd all been recovering, Dustin hadn't slept, hadn't eaten, had mostly spent long hours either at staring quietly at Sensei's gravesite or at some other outside location, though not out of eyesight of Ninja Ops. With Hunter taking care of Blake and himself, and Tori staying with Cam as he grieved, it was Shane who always remained near Dustin. Sometimes he watched from Ninja Ops and sometimes he leaned against the same tree and shared the silence. And then finally that morning, Dustin had been sitting at the lip of the waterfall when he suddenly stood up and dived off of it into the small lake that guarded Ninja Ops. He'd swum for an hour, then got out, wolfed down half of their food supplies, and then threw a quarterstaff at Shane as an invitation. Shane had taken it, and they'd begun to spar.

Shane dug his feet into the dirt and gritted his teeth. It took all of his concentration to fend off Dustin's attack. The ninjas' staffs twirled and stabbed with a growing speed, almost becoming invisible. Suddenly Dustin shoved his staff aside and started attacking Shane with fists and kicks. Shane dropped his as well, and the fight continued with skin on skin.

Dustin muttered something that Shane couldn't make out. "What?" Shane shouted over the noise made by their battle.

"I said you're not so tough now that I can fight back!"

"Huh? Dude, what are you talking about?" In his confusion, Shane let down his guard. Dustin got a swift punch in right at his jaw and Shane was knocked backwards onto the ground. With a war cry, Dustin grabbed his staff and would've decapitated Shane with it if the Red Ranger hadn't rolled away.

"You bastard," he spat at Shane. "Hold still while I kill you! I want you as defenseless as you left _me_!"

Shane flipped to his feet before ducking and rolling behind a tree. "Dustin! Dude, what is wrong with you?" Realization suddenly kicked Shane in the head as hard as Dustin had. "Dustin! It's me, Shane—uh, your friend Shane, not the one who hurt you! I'm your friend! _Dustin_!"

Dustin stopped swinging his staff. His eyes widened and his jaw began to tremble. Slowly he withdrew his swing, dropped his staff to the ground and put his hands to his side, still staring wide-eyed at Shane. "Dude," Dustin croaked. "Dude, I'm so sorry." He rubbed his fingers through his sweat-soaked hair and looked around as if he'd just woken from a nightmare. "I…I don't know what came over me. Something just…clicked in my head and I forgot the fight wasn't real and I thought that you were…that you were the other Shane."

Shane approached his friend cautiously, still a bit on his guard. "It's ok." Shane softened his voice, feeling like he was speaking to a small lost child. "It's ok, Dustin."

"I…" Dustin looked at Shane, at a loss with the moment. "I think I need some sleep." His entire body deflated, and he braced himself against a tree. His body and mind had finally broken, and he was being forced to rest.

Shane nodded. "It's ok, dude, I gotcha." Dustin allowed Shane to take his arm and pull it over his shoulders for support. Together they walked slowly and silently back to Ninja Ops.


	7. Regrouping 2

**Ninja Storm: Quest for Each Other**

PenPatronus

Chapter Seven: Regrouping 2

On the fourth morning, Cam woke up and found himself thinking about what his father would want him to do, rather than dwelling on his death. Cam got up, ate breakfast, and spent the morning fixing Ninja Ops: repairing the computer, double-checking all of their equipment, warming up the zords, preparing defense plans for the perimeter, and scanning for any sign of this alternate dimension and the enemies that would inevitably come from it.

Around noon, Shane and Tori came in with supplies. Cam looked up at them from the computer. "Password?" They weren't taking anymore chances that someone could be replaced by their "evil twin."

"Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers," Shane recited.

Cam nodded, and went back to work.

"You look like you could use some rest, Shane," Tori observed as they unloaded the food onto a new table in the center of Ninja Ops. "You've been holding this group together for days. Everyone's back on their feet now. You can take a break."

"Thanks, Tor," Shane said, resigning. "But I'll go check on Dustin first."

"And I'll take care of the Bradley brothers. You ok here, Cam?" Cam was so engrossed in his work that he didn't even hear her. Tori snorted and smiled. "Back to normal."

---

"Are you a superhero or a psychiatrist?"

Shane chuckled. "I'm your friend, dude. Now humor me." Shane sat on the wood floor with his legs crossed beneath him. He was leaning against the closed bedroom door, looking at Dustin who lay on his side in bed while he hugged a pillow. "Just remember that it wasn't me who did this, and also…" Shane hesitated, and gulped, "remember how sorry I am that—that I let them do this to you, bro."

Dustin shook his head. "Don't blame yourself, Shane. I'm sorry they hijacked my ass and my evil double dude was able to spy on you."

Shane found his opening and dove into it. "When did they replace you, anyway?"

Dustin closed his eyes, held them like that for a moment, then opened them slowly. "It was so stupid…I was working at Storm Chargers on Tuesday afternoon when Kelly got a call. The guy said he needed a good bike mechanic, that his had broken down at the beach, and that he'd heard about me. So, idiot that I am, I just strolled down to the beach not even thinking that was totally something Lothor would do to get me. Anyway, I get to the beach, and you and—the other you and the other Hunter were there. So I go running up all 'hey Hunter glad to see you where have you and Blake been' yadda yadda yadda. And the next thing I know you're dragging me into the ocean. I thought you were joking around, then I thought that you were going to drown me, and suddenly, I was tossed onto the beach in this whacked out other dimension. You and Hunter took me to…sorry, bro, I mean Other Shane, Other Hunter."

"It's ok." Shane felt the momentum of Dustin's story. It was really starting to pour out of him. "Keep talking."

Dustin nodded. "They took me to their Ninja Ops. Other Cam and Other Me left and Shane, Hunter and Blake tied me down and then Other Tori…well…"

Shane blinked. "Tori tortured you?"

"Dude, being in the same room with her was torture."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean that Tori was _smokin'_ hot. You should've seen us—I mean them. The guys were just all over her, treating her like a queen. But she was…sadistic. The puppet master. She just had to glance at Blake and he would electrocute me. Shane threw most of the punches and Hunter had the…had the knives…" Dustin hesitated. His eyes glazed over for a second as he relived the torture. "But Tori was the one who asked all of the questions."

"What did she want to know?"

Dustin shook his head. "I don't remember exactly. It was a parallel universe, Shane, it's not like they didn't know the location of Ninja Ops. Tori kept asking about what valuables were in our world, how it was different from theirs…They actually wanted to know more about Lothor than about us. And whenever Tori asked a question, she would stab me with a needle and pump something into me. I tried to fight back but the chemicals made me more…talkative than usual. I'm sorry, Shane, I couldn't help it."

"I know. I'm just glad you're safe, dude. Did you see anything that might help us? Overhear anything?"

Dustin shook his head, "No. I just know they're come—wait! Now I remember!" Dustin sat up in the bed and threw his legs over the edge. "They wanted to know about Blake and Hunter's parents! And they want something, too…" Dustin smacked his own forehead. "What was it…something about the Thunder Ninjas but I'm not sure…" Dustin rarely looked so serious, so when he did, Shane sat up straight. "Dude, they're going to come after Blake and Hunter, I know that much. We've got to protect them. We've got to figure out what they have that our twins want!"

Shane frowned. They did need to figure that out. In fact, now that Shane actually had time to sit and think, he realized there were lots of things they needed to figure out. "We need to have a team meeting. Pronto."

---

Tori frowned in concern. "You ok, Hunter?"

"Fine."

"Don't let him fool you," Blake said. "He's been getting worse with each day when he should be getting better. Seriously, bro, something's not right."

Tori cut in before the argument could continue. "Well, hopefully some lunch will make you feel better—"

"This coming from the guy whose ribs are still broken yet he gets out of bed! What's right about that?"

"Hunter—"

Tori raised her voice and forced it to sound light. "I have peanut butter, ham, bologna and something that might have been a rodent—uh…" Hunter and Blake stared at her. Tori's eyes simultaneously watered and rolled skywards as she mentally kicked herself. She had decided that it was not yet time to grieve for Sensei (he was such a cute guinea pig), but he was still on her subconscious mind. Tori cleared her throat and looked helplessly down at the plate of sandwiches in her hands. Tears began to drip from her nose and stain the bread. Tori Hanson was a strong woman but she'd been working for days to take care of the boys and finally the pressure had escalated.

In front of her, Blake and Hunter were on the bed in the second bedroom, Hunter sitting with his elbows on his knees in front of Blake who lay on his left side. The two brothers were in their ninja uniforms and though Hunter was pale and fatigued and Blake's abdomen was still bandaged, they had mostly recovered from their injuries. When Tori had knocked on the door and let herself in, Hunter immediately scooted aside to make room for his brother's girlfriend. Now, he got up and took the sandwiches before her suddenly trembling hands dropped the whole plate. Gently, Hunter led her to the bed, aiding her as if she were blind. Blake pushed himself up into a sitting position and opened his arms wide. Tori dove into his embrace as if into an ocean wave. Hunter sat beside them. He hesitated for a moment, then added his arms to the mix and hugged Tori as well.

"Shh," Blake soothed with his voice, and with his touch as he rubbed her back and stroked her hair. "Shh, Tori."

"I—was—so—scared—" she gasped. Tori took a deep breath against Blake's chest and let out the words at lightning speed. "I got zapped on Lothor's ship and couldn't stop myself from hurting you then I thought you were dead and then Hunter and Shane on the ground and then Dustin wasn't Dustin and they _hurt_ Dustin and you weren't moving you weren't _moving_ Blake I thought you were—were—I was so _scared_ then heard Cam scream and Shane left and I left you and found Sensei dead and I had to take care of Cam and all of you—and I can't even make sandwiches or jokes—and—oh my boys my boys my poor boys I'm so scared…"

"It's ok, Tori," Blake whispered into her neck. She shuddered under his breaths. "We're ok. I've got you, I've got you."

"That's right, we're your boys. And we're not going to let anything happen to you, Tori," Hunter whispered.

Blake hugged Tori until her sobs subsided to tremors rather than earthquakes. And then he gently put a forefinger beneath her chin and forced her to raise her face from his chest. Her blue eyes met his dark brown eyes and there was fear and vulnerability and tears in both sets. And then Blake dipped his lips until they landed against hers. Blake filled his kiss with tenderness, with comfort, with love. Tori kissed him back with all her strength and passion. They both put all of themselves into the kiss, until it was interrupted not three seconds later.

Shane was at the door. He was geared up in his uniform and there was an urgent fire in his eyes. "Meeting in five minutes, team. We've got problems."


	8. Council of the Red Ranger

**Ninja Storm: Quest for Each Other**

PenPatronus

Chapter Eight: Council of the Red Ranger

They gathered in the central chamber of Ninja Ops. Shane stood with his legs shoulder-width apart and arms crossed at his chest at the front of the table. Dustin sat just to his right, Blake to his left. Tori sat next to Blake, her hand in his, with Hunter on the other side of her and Cam seated on the other side of Dustin. Shane started by having everyone talk about their individual experiences to put everything out on the table: what Dustin went through and learned, what happened between Cam and his twin, everything. When the last story was told, every team member began to shout questions. Shane immediately adopted the attitude of the Red Ranger. He wasn't the leader for nothing. And with Sensei gone, it was time for Shane to truly step up.

"All right, guys, obviously some things aren't adding up here, but let's tackle this one question at a time. Dustin, why did the Others release you? They could've kept you imprisoned but they let you go. Do you know why?"

"I don't know, dude. All I know is they took me back to the water and as soon as my twin guy popped out, they threw me in." Dustin leaned his elbows on the table and rubbed his tired eyes.

"They must have been watching the fight," said Hunter. "I mean, they took over Lothor's ship, mind-warped you guys, Cam accessed the beam and they saw that Tori knew that wasn't Dustin."

"Yeah, but I'm not so sure the timeline works with that," Blake said. "Granted I was unconscious on and off during that whole thing, but if I remember it was just a few minutes between Cam accessing the beam and Tori recognizing the other Dustin. That just left a few seconds for them to have our Dustin ready to send back."

"And Other Shane and Other Blake had me at the shore for at least an hour before I was sent back," Dustin explained.

"It's almost like they knew that would happen," Tori speculated. "Like they knew we would figure out that wasn't our Dustin. Like it was just a matter of time."

"Were they testing us somehow?" Shane wondered. "Or maybe…" Shane looked warily at Dustin, "maybe they were planning all along to send you back. Maybe they did something to you…something that could hurt the rest of us." Dustin raised his eyebrows in surprised concern.

"We should check Dustin and his clothes for any spy equipment or booby traps," Cam concluded. "And run some medical tests."

Dustin snapped his head up to meet Shane's eyes. "Those chemicals they put in me…"

Blake and Tori looked sidelong at Hunter. He was only visibly pale to his brother before, but now it was obvious to everyone. His posture was weak, and his hands were shaking. Hunter did look ill.

"Other Cam inserted a poisonous needle into himself. And when the Others mind-warped me, they had me bring Hunter down with a needle to his neck," Shane suddenly remembered. He put the palms of his hands on the table and leaned forward. "There might be a connection. We should go back to the dirt track and see if the needle is still there."

"And I'll run some tests on it," Cam said. Everyone glanced at Hunter, whose jaw was clenched but his eyes stared steadily forward. He only blinked when Blake reached over and placed his hand on his brother's shoulder for just a moment before bringing it back to Tori.

Shane nodded and summarized, "Ok, so we'll check Dustin first. Now, Cam? Did Other Cam give you any more details about this Queen?"

Cam shook his head. "No. But from Dustin's experience, it sounds like she might be—"

"Me." Tori bit her bottom lip and looked awkwardly down at the tabletop. "Me."

"Not you," Blake said. He sat up straight and put an arm around her. He kissed her temple and lowered his voice comfortingly. "Her, not you."

"Cam, is there anything else you want to tell us?" Shane said with gentle confrontation in his voice. "I met the other Cam, and he had samurai skill and strength. Your twin wasn't only Sensei's son, he was a Power Ranger. Can you explain that?"

All eyes turned to Cam who faked confusion at first, then sighed and reached into the pocket of his jeans. In unison, jaws around the table dropped. The morpher he pulled out was green. "I had to hide this from my father, and therefore from you," Cam said. "He didn't want me to fight. But I will now. It's time to."

Shane nodded. No more explanation was necessary. "All right, that's good news. Let's see if we can find some more. Tori, when we were on the beach, how did you know that wasn't Dustin? And how did you send Blake that message?"

"That message in the puddle is something I've been working on with my powers. I can teach you guys," she said to Shane and Dustin. "Maybe you'd be able to send messages in air and earth. And how did I know that wasn't Dustin…I'm not sure. I just sensed something I guess. There was something in his eyes or just around his eyes…I'm not sure if what I saw was inside or outside of his eyes. I can't explain it."

"We need to figure out what that was, figure out if you can do it again and then teach the rest of us. If we meet our counterparts again we need to be able to tell the difference instantly. I'm also curious to find out what happened to our Lothor. And what they want from the Thunder Rangers."

Blake shook his head and shrugged. "I'm not sure." He glanced at Hunter, who was still staring absently into space. "If it's something to do with our parents, or with the Gem, well, we won't be very helpful there."

"We'll figure it out," Shane said with optimism. "Now, Cam, where at we at with—"

"Hunter?"

Hunter was on his feet and instantly Blake was in front of him. "Hunter? What's wrong? Where are you going?"

Hunter stood dizzily in front of his brother. He frowned and looked down at his feet as if he suddenly realized he was up. "I…I need…to…" Hunter swayed. Faster than a streak, Blake had his hands at Hunter's shoulders, holding him steady. "Blake? I…I feel weird…"

"Sit down for me, bro," Blake ordered, "just slowly sit back down."

"I…forget how…Blake—" Hunter's forehead fell forward and landed on Blake's shoulder. His knees buckled and he didn't have the strength to keep himself from collapsing. Blake hit the floor before him and cushioned his fall, maneuvering Hunter's head into the crook of his elbow. Tori slid to her knees and wrapped her arms around Hunter's midsection, holding him still in her lap while Blake addressed him. Cam was instantly behind Tori while Shane and Dustin hurried over to Blake. The team stood over Hunter and watched anxiously.

"Hunter? Come on, bro, please…" Blake smoothed back Hunter's blonde hair and leaned in close to his face.

"Is he ok?" Dustin reached down. His fingertips barely grazed Dustin's shoulder when the sound of fizzling electricity filled the air. Bizarrely, both Blake and Hunter's heads snapped back and they screamed in agony, and Dustin was physically thrown backwards, knocking Shane over as if he were a bowling pin. Dustin rolled away and huddled against the far wall, staring in terrified awe at his hands. Shane crawled towards him but Dustin scurried away. "Don't touch me, I'll hurt you!"

"Dude, you've touched me and Tori since you came back and you didn't hurt us! Your touch just hurt Blake and Hunter!" Shane grabbed Dustin's arm to prove it and to literally shake some sense into him. The two Wind Ninjas caught their breaths, then looked back at the Bradley's. Cam ran by them, headed for a medical kit.

Blake leaned over with his shaking arms wrapped around the still Hunter's chest as he struggled to regain his bearings and breath. Tori was running her fingers through his hair and placing tear-tainted kisses in it. With a last glance at Dustin, Shane crawled forward and studied Hunter who was lying on his back. The older Bradley was unconscious, pale, blood was seeping from his lips and in his restless sleep his facial expression was frozen in pain.

"Oh no…" Shane muttered.

"Blake," Tori whispered, "_Blake_."

"Tori…" Blake loosened his hug on his brother and tried to sit up, but failed. His words were muffled by Hunter's uniform. "Tori, Shane, whatever the Others want from us," Blake gasped, "they need us dead to get it. They mind-warped you guys to kill us, but they had a back-up plan. They did poison us with that knife and that needle and…and the chemicals they put in Dustin activated the poison."

"We'll fix this," Tori said, her words coming out at warp speed. She shook Blake, trying to get him up. "We'll find out how to fix this and we'll fix it, Blake…? _Blake_!"

With a miserable groan, Blake went limp, rolled off his unconscious brother and lay spread-eagled on the floor. Blood began to seep from between his lips to join Hunter's.

"Uh, guys?"

Cam was staring at the computer screen. Shane arched up on his knees to see what he was looking at. He sighed. The bad guys sure had good timing and knew how to make an entrance. A giant Lothor, enlarged and strengthened by his own Scroll of Empowerment, was marching through the terrified city and towards Ninja Ops.


	9. Healing Waters

**Ninja Storm: Quest for Each Other**

PenPatronus

Chapter Nine: Healing Waters

Dustin looked up from the computer screen. "Dudes, Lothor's getting closer!"

"Cam, can we do this with just the Wind Ninja zords?"

"No way, Shane. We need the Thunder Storm Megazord to have any chance." Cam looked down at Hunter and Blake, who lay unconscious on the floor of Ninja Ops. "We've got to wake them up!"

Tori, kneeling between the two brothers, looked up at Cam with tears in her eyes. "What if they can't fight? Could we take their morphers and somehow control the Thunder zords? Maybe _you_ could—"

Cam shook his head to cut her off. "No, Tori, actually the Ninja powers, Wind, Thunder, Fire, _all_ of them are unique for Power Rangers. Hunter and Blake are deeply connected to their morphers. The Thunder powers won't work for any other ninja, at least not while the original users are alive." Tori frowned. She'd have to remember that.

"Have I not made it clear that a gigantic Lothor is coming?" Dustin said with a strained voice.

"All right, Dustin, let's get our zords ready," said Shane. He looked at Tori and Cam. "You have two minutes to get them ready or we'll have to fight Lothor on our own." Tori nodded and Shane and Dustin morphed and headed out.

Tori positioned the palm of her hand over Blake's forehead, summoned her powers, and a few drops of water dripped from her skin to land on his closed eyes. "Blake, wake up!" Blake's eyes rolled beneath their lids, but he didn't stir. Tori reached deeper, aimed at both brothers, and splashed them both so hard that they were rolled over by the water. Blake groaned but remained unconscious and Hunter's breathing didn't even change rhythm. Frustrated, Tori smacked them both right in the head, hardly caring if she hurt them. "Wake up! Hunter! Blake! We need your help! WAKE UP!"

The Thunder Ninjas didn't move. At a loss, Tori and Cam looked over at the computer and watched Lothor stomp closer and closer. "We're running out of time," Cam said, "you should go." Tori sighed, leaned forward and placed the gentlest of kisses on Blake's still lips. Part of her was hanging onto some fairytale notion that her touch would instantly heal him. She knew it was a fantasy, but Tori still found herself disappointed when it didn't happen. But then, something did happen.

"Déjà vu," Tori muttered.

Cam, who had settled into his chair at the computer, cocked an eyebrow at her. "Huh?"  
As Cam watched, Tori placed her palm back over Blake's forehead and closed her eyes. Following only her instincts, she ran her hand inches above his body from head to foot, giving special attention to the knife wound at his abdomen. Her fingers moved deftly as if she were a blind woman reading brail. Cam watched with his usual scientific skepticism. Whatever Tori was sensing, he certainly couldn't see or understand it. Tori summoned her powers again. This time the water that dripped from her fingertips stopped in mid-air, right above Blake's body, as if caught by an invisible shield. Cam's jaw dropped.

"Tori, what are you doing and how on earth are you doing it?"

"I—I'm not sure." Concentrating, she continued to release droplets of water all along Blake's body, and they continued to mysteriously stop in the air. Soon a blanket of floating blue water covered Blake like a cocoon. And then, when her hand settled once again over his wound, Blake shuddered. Tori gasped and the water was released and splashed down on Blake's body. He coughed, sputtered for a moment, and slowly he opened his eyes. "Blake—" Tori began, but he was already sitting up and had her face in his hands. With a fevered passion, Blake kissed her, running his hands down her back and his tongue between her lips. Tori melted into him. She was instantly in his lap with her arms around his neck and her mouth inviting him closer.

When Blake released her, he kept his eyes on her and slowly unbuttoned his ninja uniform, revealing the bandages beneath. He peeled them back, and to Tori and Cam's surprise, the knife wound was completely healed.

"Help Hunter," he whispered.

---

From his zord in the air, Shane contacted Tori. "Let's go, Blue. Lothor will be here in seconds!"

"We're with you, Shane!" Shane grinned at the sound of Hunter's voice. He looked down and saw Tori, Blake and Hunter arriving in their zords. Within seconds the Thunder Storm Megazord was up and operational and on its way to meet Lothor. "All right! Let's take him down!"

Lothor reared back, wound his arm up like a baseball pitcher, and shot a maroon ball of energy right at them.


	10. Kamikaze Hug

**Ninja Storm: Quest for Each Other**

PenPatronus

Chapter Ten: Kamikaze Hug

Lothor reared back, wound his arm up like a baseball pitcher, and shot a maroon ball of energy right at the Thunder Storm Megazord. The Megazord dodged the blast, and took a few swings before taking a defensive position. The two giants prepared themselves for attack. Lothor took the offense, stampeded towards the Rangers, and before Shane could coordinate their next move he had his arms wrapped around the Megazord's midsection.

"Dudes, what's this guy doing?" came Dustin's voice over their communicators.

"He's just holding us!" Hunter said.

"He's _hugging_ us!" said Tori.

"Not really my type," Blake muttered.

"Cam!" Shane called. "Can you tell what Lothor's up to?"

There was a silence over communications that lasted so long that Shane almost said Cam's name again. And then Cam was yelling. "_Eject_, guys, there's a **bomb** strapped to his back! GET OUT OF THERE!!!"

"Huh?" Shane heard the other four Rangers gasp. But Shane was long used to trusting Cam without a second thought.

"_EJECT_!" A rumble began deep within the Megazord. Shane was just separating his Hawk zord from the rest when the explosion hit.

---

Tori heard the first syllable of Shane's word before his voice was overwhelmed by static. But she knew what he was saying, and didn't hesitate. Tori hit the eject button on her console, brought her arms to a point above her head and streaked out of the Megazord in a flash of blue light. She'd only streaked twenty yards when it exploded. The blast threw Tori off course and burned her skin, causing her to cry out in pain and suddenly unmorph. She didn't see the forest until she crashed through the branches of a pine tree, ricocheted off its trunk and slammed into the pile of nettles at its base. Fiery debris rained down all around her and smoke settled in a fog. When Tori raised her face, she saw a gigantic blaze of fire engulfing Lothor and the Megazord. Wondering if summoning so much energy in her injured state could weaken her even more, Tori raised her hands towards the fire. She reached deep within her inner ninja, accessed her powers, and came up with an entire lake of water. She aimed it like a hose and within moments, Tori put the fire out. Exhausted, Tori collapsed and watched dizzily as smoke and steam slowly dissipated from the scene. She wanted desperately to get up and look for her boys, but her body wouldn't let her. The exposed skin of her hands and neck had third degree burns, and even her ninja uniform had been scorched. Tori whimpered.

And then, miraculously, she heard _his_ voice.

"Tori? _Tori_!"

"Blake!" Out of the fog, Blake came running up and scooped her into his arms. Tori hugged him, burying her face into his neck. He was in his ninja suit, whole and unhurt and _hers_. "Oh Blake…" Tori never wanted him to let go of her.

"That was so scary…I'm so glad you're all right," Blake whispered.

"You too, you too." Tori maneuvered her face to kiss him. But then…

Blake's hug felt…sharp. As if porcupine quills had sprung up all over his body. Tori winced in his arms. "What is it?" he whispered into her ear. Even his breath seemed to have a physically spiky edge to it. It slithered down her skin like oil, like the cold, dull edge of a knife. His entire body felt foreign.

Tears promptly sprung to Tori's eyes and she shoved her elbows between her and Blake's chest. She was trembling. "Get away from me."

It was almost a relief when he didn't prolong the ruse. But it so much more terrifying when he snapped her wrists back and shoved her against a tree. "What's wrong, _honey_?" He drew his tongue up her neck, and it felt like fire. "Don't you like me anymore?" He pressed even closer, and rubbed himself against her thigh. "Don't you want me?" he hissed.

Tori turned her face aside, took a deep breath and screamed. "_**BLAKE**_!"

_Other_ Blake smacked her across the jaw. Tori was thrown to the ground. Wiping blood away from her lip, she was forced to raise her face when Other Blake grabbed her by her blonde hair and yanked. Tori cried out in pain and a flash flood of tears drenched her cheeks.

Suddenly there was grunting and a flash of navy. Tori cried out as her hair was pulled left, then promptly released, sending her facedown into the forest leaves. Slowly she managed to raise her head. She blinked through her dizziness. When her vision dimmed, she just tried to memorize the blurry images she was seeing. Two navy shadows were dueling, but that was all she could decipher. And then she was just curled up in the leaves, weak and scared and shivering.

---

If Cam had been thinking straight, he would've ridden a glider, or a tsunami cycle, or even Shane's skateboard. But when he saw the Megazord explode, Cam just started running. He entered the forest clearing outside of Blue Bay Harbor a good seven minutes after the explosion, and found a pile of singed metal overtop of a dead Lothor. The air was full of corrosive smells and there were puddles of water beneath his sneakers. Gasping for breath, standing there with his legs shoulder-width apart and his limbs shaking with fear, Cam just started yelling names, but the only answer was the whirling sound of the steam and smoke. Not knowing what else to do, Cam nudged at the metal with his feet. "I can't be the only one left," he muttered to himself. "They have to be here, they have to be alive, I can't do this alone I can't I can't I can't…"

Suddenly there came a rumble like a freight train. Cam looked around, then at the sky, and then at the ground beneath his feet. Tremors in the dirt suddenly joined the sound, and Cam was nearly thrown off his feet. There was a spray of earth, and from that earth came a yellow blur. The Yellow Ranger shot out of the ground and immediately took a defensive stance at whatever was moving, including Cam.

"Whoa!" Cam put his hands up in an "I surrender" signal. Luckily, he was recognized. Dustin dropped his guard, then his arms, and then he unmorphed and dropped to his knees. "Dustin!" Cam kneeled beside him. Dustin put one hand on Cam's shoulder and brought the other one to his eyes. The two friends stayed like that for several moments: Dustin recovering and Cam helplessly patting him on the back.

"Dustin…are you ok?"

"Yeah…just hit my head when I dove into the earth for protection…just—just dizzy…" Dustin took a last deep breath, and then raised his eyes. He was blinking wildly. When his world stopped spinning, Dustin's sight landed on the wreckage. His jaw dropped in awe. "Oh man. Why did Lothor—Is everyone else all right?"

"I haven't found them yet."

"What?" Dustin stood then, and Cam had to steady him. "Have you looked around the forest?"

"Not yet. I'll keep digging here and you fan out."

"Got it, dude." Though he was dragging a bit, Dustin broke into a jog, and started yelling. "Shane! Tori! Blake! Hunter! _GUYS_!"

Cam turned back to the scene and was about to start digging when something silver caught his eye. He had to climb over the remains of the dolphin zord, and through Lothor's singed black hair, but he followed the sight to what was left of the space ninja's shoulder. What he found was a silver disk with an antenna on it that looked almost like a satellite. "So that's how this happened," Cam muttered to himself. "The Others were controlling him like a puppet, and this is his string."

With a mighty kick fueled by all of his passion and grief, Cam split the antenna in half.


	11. The Confusing Clash

**Ninja Storm: Quest for Each Other**

PenPatronus

Chapter Eleven: A Confusing Clash

Shane Clarke thought he had gone blind, but then he realized that he just couldn't open his eyes. And then he realized he wasn't breathing. And then he realized he couldn't move. And _then_ he realized that if he couldn't move, breathe or see, he was going to die. Shane summoned his ninja powers and released a tornado. Metal creaked, smoke stung his closed eyes and his skin sizzled. Weight was released from his chest and air forced itself into his lungs. A moment later he felt cool sunlight on his face.

And then something had his arm and began to pull him. Shane didn't know whether to put up a fight or kick his legs to help. But then he heard his name and when he finally did pry open his eyes, he found a yellow-brown blur above him.

"Shane? _Shane_! Dude, are you ok?"

"Nope. No. Not at all."

"Good. I mean, me neither. Let's, uh, let's just sit here until we're ok, ok?" Dustin plopped down beside Shane and sighed. Shane patted himself down, looking for bruises and blood, and then he scanned Dustin. It was obvious to Shane that he was dizzy even at that altitude, and soon Dustin lay down with his back on the grass as well. "I haven't seen the others yet. And your bird is broken."

"Yeah I was in the air for about two seconds before I crashed. Did you look for them? And the other zords? Is Lothor dead?"

"Blew himself to smithereens." Dustin waved his fingers to mimic fireworks. "What's left of the Megazord buried him…Cam's looking for the others." Shane winced at the uncharacteristic shakiness of Dustin's voice. "This is rough, dude, I mean we already lost—"

Shane suddenly gasped and shuddered, rolled over onto his side away from Dustin, and spit blood. As he coughed and choked, Dustin gently and futilely patted him on the back. When Shane rolled back over, he was stunned to see anger on Dustin's features. Was he angry that Shane was coughing? Dustin was one of those people who could be so strong yet so gentle at the same time, and he very rarely angered at anyone (other than himself). Shane didn't know what to make of it.

"Sensei is dead."

Shane blinked. "I know." Maybe Dustin had hit his head harder than he thought…?

"Do you really realize what that means?" For half a moment, Dustin's lower lip trembled. "That means that _you_ are truly the leader, Shane. You're the heart of this team. We can't—we can't lose you, too."

Anxious to lighten the moment, Shane said "Hunter can lead the team," and chuckled. Dustin stared at him, his expression unchanging. Then, silently, he helped Shane to his feet. He glared at the Red Ranger, then turned before Shane caught the look in his eye. With a sigh, Shane limped after Dustin back towards the remains of the Megazord.

---

Blake Bradley had always practiced the most refined ninja moves, but when he saw his Other self standing over Tori, he saw red and suddenly his fighting finesse consisted of nothing more than a graceless tackle. He and Other Blake tumbled over one another for a dozen yards before they both flipped to their feet and landed in defensive positions with fists raised. "You have _no_ idea how much you're going to regret touching her," Blake snarled. He was favoring his left knee, the right side of his body was burned and there was a deep gash across his forehead.

But he was on his feet, and he was defending Tori with his life.

"Oh I touched her. _You're_ going to regret surviving another second," Other Blake sneered. His eyes were dark and lacked all sparkle. "And then I'll make your Tori mine."

"Over my dead body!" Blake charged. Their moves were almost perfectly in sync: the same kick, same punch, same flip, all with the same strength and momentum. Both used the trees to duck behind, both grunted at the same time. But both soon adjusted, and Other Blake quickly had the upper hand. Other Blake had a knee on top of each of Blake's arms. He wrapped his hands around Blake's neck, and Blake was suffocating. He could feel his own eyes bulging out. He heard Tori whimpering as if off in the distance. And then two gloved hands grabbed Other Blake by the shoulders and flipped him off. Blake's eyes couldn't focus, but he saw crimson, and immediately relaxed knowing that his older brother had come to his rescue. "Hunter."

But then those crimson gloves that had pulled Other Blake off promptly punched Blake in the face. Blake spit blood.

"Dude, he's mine!" Other Blake whined from beside his twin on the ground.

Other Hunter kicked Blake in the ribs before turning to his younger brother. "Get in line, _Blakey_." He looked down at the moaning Blake. "I've always wanted to do this to you, and this is just the next best thing." Another kick. Blake twisted onto his side and saw a disoriented Tori thirty feet away, watching the scene with tears clearly visible in her eyes. Blake used his energy to summon a confident smile for her rather than block the next punch from his brother's evil twin.

Another blur: this one green. Cam had streaked into the scene, and mowed Other Hunter down. He was followed by two yellow blurs that joined the rumble. And then Blake looked up to see two Shane's who had frozen and were staring at each other, dumbfounded and with disgust. The first one said "Oh, no" and the second "Oh, shit." Not a second later both kicked at each other, and their duel began while Dustin and Cam took on Other Blake, Other Hunter, and Other Dustin.

After catching his breath, Blake managed to roll to his feet, and joined the fray.

---

To Tori, the scene seemed to be in slow motion and she found herself seeing two Cam's, two Hunter's, four Blake's, four Dustin's, and four Shane's…and about a million trees. Lowering her head, Tori tried to clear it. She took deep breaths and began to flex her limbs, slowly getting up. Finally she was able to stand, leaning against a tree but at least on her feet. When she felt able enough to at least get one punch in before she collapsed again, Tori started towards the boys. They were doing ok, considering their injured conditions, but their evil twins were unhurt, fired up and very much on the offensive. Cam was doing his best to take on as much of the fight as he could, but even he was beginning to tire. Neither side could take a long breath, let alone find a second to morph.

Although, Tori noticed, not all of the Others had Ranger Powers.

"_Blake_!"

The desperate voice came from behind Tori. She turned away from the fight, glanced back and saw that nobody else had noticed, then frowned in the direction of the ash and ruins.

"Cam! Tori! Blake!"

"Hunter…" Tori exhaled. With a quick glance back at her Blake, Tori started running towards her friend's voice.


	12. Enter Other Leanne

**Ninja Storm: Quest for Each Other**

PenPatronus

Chapter Twelve: Enter Other Leanne

"Dudes, need a hand here! _Help_!"

"Hunter…"

Tori left the fight behind, burst out of the woods, saw the pile of what was left of the Megazord and took in the scene: a woman she'd never seen before was kicking and beating Hunter (what was left of _him_) and didn't stop even when he went quiet and limp. And when he was down, she let out a triumphant war cry and tore Hunter's Thunder Ranger morpher from his wrist. She kicked Hunter one more time, and he bounced down the pile of seared metal and burnt grass. Tori ran forward and caught him as he rolled.

"Mine!" the woman howled, lifting the morpher towards the sky in celebration. Her shoulder-length hair fell across wide shoulders, and her eyes had an effect that was hypnotizing. A double-edged blade was strapped to her back and was as long as the distance between her boots and her grin. She was strength, and she was empowered. For a moment, Tori almost admired her.

"Hunt—Leanne?" Blake had broken off from the rumble and was suddenly kneeling beside Hunter and Tori. But he was staring at the woman, not his brother. "_Leanne_?"

The woman seemed to break out of the trance that holding the morpher caused. She noticed Blake, and her crazy grin became a seductive smile. "Hello, lover, bet you're sorry I got to this first!" Leanne tossed the morpher into the air and easily caught it with the same hand.

Tori's jaw dropped. She rounded on her boyfriend. "Blake, who is she?"

Blake stuttered, "Sensei Amano's daughter but Tori, I swear I haven't seen her for ages and I never—! She must be…" Blake sighed and clenched his eyes shut for a moment. "She's one of the Others…I'm starting to get the impression that they outnumber us."

"Wait, you got one already—" Leanne noticed the morpher on Blake's wrist, and Tori could practically see the light bulb switch on above her head as she realized that this Blake wasn't hers. She squinted past the rangers, and must have seen Other Blake because her posture switched back to offensive. She swaggered towards them, holding Hunter's morpher above her head as if displaying a trophy. "Well now. I have the crimson ranger's powers, and in a moment I'll have the navy's—I can keep one and give the other to the highest bidder. Won't daddy be proud." In a swift motion, one that she'd obviously practiced just for that moment, Leanne slid the morpher down her forearm and activated the Thunder Ranger powers. "Thunder Storm, Ranger Form—AHHHH!"

There was a bright flash of lightning and Leanne was thrown backwards. In a flash of speed, the crimson morpher landed next to its rightful owner. Hunter's morpher had shed Leanne as if she were a parasite. Gasping, Leanne got back to her feet and staggered towards Blake, Hunter and Tori again. "Well that settles it," she growled. "I guess it's true that the last wearer has to be dead before someone new can claim the powers." Leanne drew the blade from her back and the metal reflected stinging sunlight into Tori's eyes. Blake stood up and placed himself in front of his girlfriend and his brother. "No problem." She screamed, causing goosebumps to squirm across Tori's skin, and attacked.

Wounded and weaponless, Blake raised his fists, bent his knees, and braced himself for the hit.

---

Dustin's kick sailed right over his twin's head, and he managed to duck the same exact kick from Other Dustin. "Dude, this could seriously get pointless!"

Other Dustin lowered his fists and put his hands on his hips. "If you say 'dude' one more time, I'll punch you in the face."

"Won't you do that anyway?"

"Oh, yeah."

And then, quite literally out of the blue of the sky, a ship descended. Dustin didn't have to have Cam's brains to figure out that it was Lothor's—direct from space and piloted by players who were not on the rangers' side. There was the flash of a tractor beam, and Other Dustin, Other Hunter, Other Blake and Other Shane disappeared, leaving Cam, Dustin and Shane to stare at one another in confusion. Blake and Tori came into the forest with Hunter between them. The group wasn't confused for long. A moment later they had a very clear goal.

Cam moved to carry Hunter. "Run!"

Lothor's ship swooped down over the forest and shot beams of fire at the Power Rangers.


	13. Sensei's Gift

**Ninja Storm: Quest for Each Other**

PenPatronus

Chapter Thirteen: Sensei's Gift

Hunter saw the same dense darkness when his eyes were open as he did when they were closed. He clenched his fists, and felt wet moss and cool dirt between his fingers. The air was so thick with scent that he could taste the forest with every inhale, and moist heat closed around him as if he were in the womb. A sudden sharp crackle preceded firelight that floated in front of his nose, and Hunter found himself able to see.

"Way to go, Dustin," came Shane's voice from behind the match. His breath blew transparent smoke across Hunter's cheek. "Good thinking. We should be safe down here for awhile."

"We're underground, Hunter," someone whispered in his ear. "Dustin dug us a cave with his powers."

The voice grounded and comforted Hunter. "Attacked?" he grunted to Blake.

"Yes. We were attacked," said Blake. He shifted his grip on Hunter's body. "Rest, Hunter. They're gone now." A fingertip pressed against Hunter's lips. He opened them, and Tori dripped water down his parched throat. His thirst satisfied, Hunter found himself better able to concentrate. The huddled Power Rangers weren't more than a dozen yards beneath the ground. Thick roots from the forest trees curled around them and earthworms wiggled between their boots. Cam was bent over Dustin, wrapping a makeshift bandage around a deep cut on the earth ninja's arm.

Shane groaned and hugged his ribs as he rolled over onto his side, his face near Hunter's boots. "I can't believe we survived that…"

"Mini-Zord saved me," Hunter said. His voice did not sound like his own "He rolled out of the Megazord—Blake! I, I saw Leanne—"

"That wasn't her, Hunter." Blake gently wrapped his brother's morpher back around his wrist. "The Others have teamed up with their version of her."

"I wonder who else they have on their side…" Dustin wondered aloud.

"Meanwhile in this dimension we don't have Dad, and we're outnumbered," Cam said gloomily.

"But not overpowered," Tori pointed out. The men shook their heads in agreement, but certainly didn't feel optimistic. "There is some good news." Tori scooted closer to Hunter, who could barely see her face through the angelic silhouette cast by the fire. "We may have lost Sensei, but I think he made sure we would still learn what he intended to teach us."

"Tori, what—" Shane began.

"Shh," she said, not bitingly. "Just watch."

Hunter frowned as Tori fanned her fingertips and started scanning his body with her palms. He felt déjà vu, as if he'd seen her do this in a dream. She closed her eyes.

A minute passed, but the Rangers were patient. Hunter began to feel something, but he wasn't sure which of his five senses he was sensing it with. Goosebumps began to blossom across his skin, and a heat seemed to be radiating from Tori's hands. Water began to boil from the pores of her skin. Hunter hadn't realized how wounded he was until, before his eyes, his body began to heal. He felt bruises dissolve, lacerations mend, his temperature drop and his ribs and wrists shift from their broken states to still aching, but movable. He looked at Blake, but the other Thunder Ranger had obviously seen this happen before. Shane, Cam and Dustin, though, couldn't contain their surprise. When Tori finished she kneeled back and dropped her head in obvious exhaustion.

"Wow, I mean…wow!" said Dustin. He held out his arm. "Me next!"

"I think Sensei is still with us," Tori said to Cam as she healed Dustin, "or his powers were set to transfer to us at his death. I've gained this new power…and I suspect the rest of you will start to recognize some new strengths as well."

"When did you realize what had happened, Tori?" Shane asked with a healthy dose of skepticism.

"When it was needed," she said simply. "I'm sure that's when your new abilities will surface." Tori moved to Shane.

"Tori, it's ok, don't bother, it's just a scratch," Shane said. He covered his wounds with his hands to keep her from getting to them. "Look at you. You're draining yourself. Don't bother with me."

"No, I'm all right," Tori said. She stared Shane straight in the eye. "I can do it."

Blake reached past Hunter and gently took her elbow. "Tori you can barely sit up. Let it go. You can heal him after you've rested."

"No, I…I need to do it now. I don't know why, but I _need_ to." Tori ran her hands over Shane's body and winced. "You're in pain…I have to fix it. I—I thirst to fix it…I won't be able to breathe unless I fix it, Shane…"

Tori was struggling to remain conscious, but still she began to drip droplet after droplet of water over Shane's chest. When his skin was completely covered, the water dropped and healed the wound. She then moved over to Cam but couldn't keep her hands steady or aim the water. "Blake, hold me!" she gasped. Blake immediately maneuvered Hunter out of his lap and wrapped his arms around her from behind while Shane and Dustin held her hands over Cam. The water came out slowly and Tori began to pale as if from severe dehydration. Finally Cam was covered, the water dropped, and Tori dropped with it. She collapsed back into Blake's arms. Blake shook her and called her name, but Tori had passed out from her efforts.

"Dammit," Blake cursed. The group released a collective sigh. They relaxed in the safety of their hideout for a few minutes…and then Hunter looked over at Shane.

"What now, fearless leader?"

Shane had been thinking. His gaze was steady as he said "It's time to take the offensive, Rangers. We need a plan."

Silence. The men sat and thought for long moments. Tori remained unconscious in Blake's arms.

And then suddenly Cam groaned and smacked his own forehead. He looked from Shane to Dustin to Tori, and then at Blake and Hunter.

"I have a very, _very_ bad idea."


	14. In the Gold Dust Dimension

**Ninja Storm: Quest for Each Other**

PenPatronus

Chapter Fourteen: In the Gold Dust Dimension

In the Gold Dust dimension, the Others had transformed their Ninja Ops into a modern castle.

Spiraling towers clawed towards the dawning sky. Black waterfalls dripped from the fingertips of giant statues. Murals depicting each Ranger's triumphs decorated every inch of stone. An outer wall was thick and covered in spikes, giving it a medieval feel, but the gate required fingerprint confirmation. Flapping in an ominous wind were flags picturing an upside down cross made of swords.

In the forest just outside of eyesight, Cam, Hunter and Blake stared at the castle, each waiting for the other to start the mission. Their evil counterparts were just inside, and who knew who or what else was waiting for them. Dustin, Shane and Tori had been instructed to come after them, guns and other weapons blazing, if they didn't hear from the reconnaissance team. Hunter found himself wondering why he'd volunteered for this part of the offensive…and why he'd let Blake volunteer.

Finally Cam took a deep, settling breath. "Is my scar on straight?"

Blake and Hunter nodded. They hadn't even looked.

"Right…Ready?"

"No."

Blake glanced sidelong at Hunter. "Let's make sure this looks real so it'll all be worth it, ok bro?"

"Stick to the plan, Blake." The Bradley brothers sighed simultaneously, and went back to staring.

Cam shrugged. "I'm not ready either…but let's do one thing at a time, ok?" Cam walked in front of Blake, but Hunter put a hand on his chest.

"I'll do that."

Cam turned over the chains they'd borrowed from Dustin. Turning, Blake put his own wrists behind his back and allowed Hunter to shackle him with the chains. Once they were tight, but not uncomfortable (Blake had to tell him several times that they were about to fall off), the younger Bradley turned back to face them. He took a deep breath, closed and reopened his eyes and said to Hunter, "Do it."

But Hunter shook his head. He gave Blake a long look, something resembling and understanding passed between them, and then he turned his back and pressed his forefingers deep inside his ears. Several moments passed, and then a hand touched his shoulder. Hunter turned, knowing what he was about to see, but still unable to prepare himself for the sight of his brother lying unconscious on the forest floor. The bruises on his temples, cheek and chin were already visible. Hunter nodded at Cam, reminding him that it he understood what was at stake, and that he had no hard feelings towards him. Cam nodded back, and stepped aside to let Hunter pull his brother up.

"Ok. Let's go."

"Yeah," Hunter whispered hoarsely. Then, deciding that wasn't a manly enough response, he said the word louder.

Cam switched into character and walked forward with a confidence he didn't feel. He pressed his hand to the computer screen, and his fingerprints were scanned, and approved. The gate opened, they walked through the outer compound and then into the main control room, and Cam called "Honey, I'm home!"

_Other_ Shane, Other Hunter, Other Blake (who of course didn't think of themselves as the Others), looked up from trying to decipher the computer as Cam and Hunter dragged an unconscious Blake into the Others' Ninja Ops. They were all wearing black uniforms and in a flash as sudden as a falling shadow, surrounded them.

"Where the hell have you been?" Other Shane demanded, punching Cam in the chest. He pointed at the Bradley brothers. "And what are they doing here?"

"Whatever happened to 'I missed you? Nice to have you home'?" Cam said, trying to mimic his deceased twin and depending on the Others knowing him only so well. "Look, dudes, sorry I bailed on you, but I had to kill my dad before I could concentrate on the mission. You understand. And see? I brought a peace offering, morpher and all." Cam released Blake, whose limp body landed soundlessly on the floor. He handed Blake's morpher to Other Blake.

Other Shane came up to Hunter and his nose nearly stabbed his. "And you just decided to come voluntarily?"

Blake managed to suppress a wince when Other Shane stepped right on top of Blake. He had to stay in character or Blake's bruises wouldn't be worth it. "That's right."

Other Dustin folded his arms to his chest. "And what on Earth would prompt such an action? I saw you fight. You fought for your brother."

"I met Cam, your Cam, and he told me that in this dimension, my parents are alive. All I've ever wanted is to be with my parents. I'd give up anything." Hunter swallowed and tried to read Other Shane's reaction. "And to prove it? Here." Slowly, Hunter slid his morpher off his wrist and tossed it to his twin. Other Hunter caught it awkwardly and turned it over in his hands. It was obvious that he'd never held a Thunder Ranger morpher before. Doubt at his own doubt flashed across Shane's face.

"So let me get this straight. You want your mommy and daddy, and you're perfectly willing to betray your teammates, bring your brother here, and hand over your powers."

Hunter angled his head. Part of him was thrilled to spit words in Shane's face, no matter which Shane it was. "Should I repeat myself or can you do the math all by yourself?"

A female voice interrupted. "I like this one."

The Others went quiet. Hunter stiffened when Other Tori entered the scene. She was small and bony, very pale, with long fingernails and bright red lips. She bit the nail of her thumb and studied him. Then she drew her fingertips through his hair, down his arm, then did the same to Other Hunter, who nipped at her hand when it neared his lips. "Two of them…" Other Tori muttered. Her voice sounded off, as if she thought she were speaking internally and didn't realize that anyone else could hear her. "Could be fun…could be lots of fun…" She strolled from Hunter over to the unconscious Blake on the floor, her black robes flowing around her. She eased her toe gently beneath Blake's chest, then with a sudden viciousness, kicked his body. Blake was rolled over onto his back and Tori stood over him, straddling his waist as she studied him. She looked up as Other Blake came over. Other Tori reached out and trailed a finger down his chest. "Two of you, too…hmmm…" Other Blake clawed at her hair then buried his lips in her neck. Other Tori let out a short sound of pleasure.

Cam thought he might puke. He was pretty sure his twin would too.

Other Shane turned back to Cam. "You deviated from the plan. You disappeared right when we needed you. Why should I let you back on my team?"

Cam folded his arms to his chest and cocked his head at the computer. "Because I'm the only one who knows how to operate everything around here and on their Lothor's ship. That bomb you strapped to their Lothor was just pathetic. If you want to defeat the other Rangers, you need me."

Other Shane glared at him a moment longer before he pointed at the computer with his eyes. "Get to work on the next part of the plan, Green. I have to report to the Queen." Other Shane turned to Other Tori, Other Hunter and Other Blake. "Put that Blake in a cell. And _you_, come with me. Come say hi to mommy and daddy."

Hunter obediently followed Other Shane out of Ninja Ops. Cam said goodbye and good luck with a simple look, and they both winced anxiously as Other Dustin dragged Blake away by his hair.


	15. According to Plan

**Ninja Storm: Quest for Each Other**

PenPatronus

Chapter Fifteen: According to Plan

Other Shane, in his Other black uniform and Other red boots, thundered through the Others' fortress. Hunter followed him obediently, and copied his bow when they entered a wide throne room. The floor was made of stone, every wall was covered with green vines and black flags, and black candles cast a gloomy light on two sitting figures. Other Riley Bradley's face was not as Hunter remembered. His black skin had permanent wrinkles just as Hunter's father had, but they had been carved by a constant frown rather than a smile. His eyes were sharp and piercing and from his grip on a staff Hunter could tell that he was a fierce ninja warrior. Other Esther Bradley's ebony skin was not modestly covered. Bright, multi-colored tattoos covered her body from her bare feet to the crown of her black hair. Hunter had never witnessed anything but gentle kindness in his adopted mother's face…but this, this _woman_…Such evil. Hunter felt cold fear pool in his stomach. He longed to press his cheek to his mother's stomach and spar with his father. He longed to hear their voices speak his name with love.

For half a moment he was almost tempted to transform his ruse into truth.

Almost.

"Shane. Hunter. You disturb us. Explain."

Other Shane performed a second bow to Riley, and kept his head down as he spoke. "King Bradley, this man is not your—"

"I know, Commander," the King growled. "You think I wouldn't recognize my own son? I know he is not my warrior Hunter, and I know you've failed in your plan with their Lothor. _Explain_."

"Lieutenant Cam told him about you, your highness, after he infiltrated their Ops. Apparently his parents are dead in his dimension. He turned over his brother and his morpher and asked to meet you. At the moment he is your prisoner, until he proves—"

"There will be no need to prove anything, Shane." Riley's gaze flickered to his son's twin, and Hunter winced from the power behind the look. He gulped, and wished Blake were with him. "All we need to prove will soon be shown."

The Queen suddenly descended from her throne, her posture and mannerisms similar to Other Tori's when she ran her long fingernails through Hunter's hair. But she was searching for something, not just examining him. Hunter realized it a moment too late. A flash of pain whipped down his spine, and with a grunt Hunter collapsed to his knees. He tried to shake her palm from his head, but her grip was strong. When the Queen spoke she spoke softly, yet her voice seemed to carry, vibrate, and echo. "Silly child," she whispered, her lips at his ear. "It was an impressive idea, and a noble effort, but I didn't have to read your thoughts to know that your loyalty to your brother and your team is _far_ greater than your desire to reunite with your parents."

Hunter cursed. He'd been found out. "What ninja power is this?" he gasped.

His dead mother's double snorted a laugh. "In this dimension, child, we have powers you've never imagined."

"Then why the _hell_ are you coming into _our_ dimension?"

Other Esther Bradley lowered her voice and sent shivery spikes through Hunter's veins. "Because," she hissed, "to access those powers, we need you…and your brother."

"Wh—" was all Hunter managed to get out before the world, and all of its dimensions, disintegrated into darkness.

-------

Cam didn't have a chance. The moment Other Shane came back into Ninja Ops from the throne room, dragging an unconscious Hunter, he pointed at Cam and shouted "Grab him!" Other Dustin and Other Blake surrounded him instantly, and Cam was thrown into a cell right behind Hunter. Their Blake, having revived from Cam's original blows, managed to catch them both.

When Hunter awoke, the first question he expected to have to answer was how their cover had been blown. But it wasn't the first one asked.

"So…what are mom and dad like in this dimension?"

Hunter, after rubbing his aching head, smiled at his brother. "Oh, pretty much the opposite of our mom and dad."

"Wow." Blake whistled. "That bad, huh?"

"I'm afraid so, dude."

"Don't worry," Cam said after Hunter updated them on what had happened. "I messed up their computer pretty badly. That's something, right?" Cam started adjusting the fake scar he'd used to mimic Other Cam, but then just took it off and threw it on the cell's floor. "So. I guess it's time to send the rest of the team a message, huh?"

"Have they tried our morphers yet?" asked Hunter.

"No, they're still arguing over who gets to claim them," Blake chuckled. "Not enough morphers in this dimension to go around."

"Ok. Then we still have time before they, well…"

"Kill us," Blake finished for Hunter. "This hasn't exactly gone according to plan."

"Could be worse, I guess." Hunter turned to Cam. "So update Shane and the others on the schematics of this compound, on how many people the Other have, what the King and Queen are like and, oh! Cyber Cam? Make sure they don't forget to bring the real Thunder morphers."

Cyber Cam winked. "Will do, dude!" Immediately he activated his own morpher and disappeared, transforming into a data stream that soared out of the cell, heading out of Ninja Ops and out of the Gold Dust dimension. The Bradley brothers watched Cyber Cam leave to bring the Wind Rangers, and then sat back to wait.


End file.
